The International Mammalian Genome Society (IMGS) was established in 1990 to foster and stimulate mammalian genetics research in areas ranging from genome annotation, sequence comparison and functional genomics to mutagenesis and quantitative trait analysis, and to represent the concerns of its members in their professional activities. For over 20 years, the IMGS has sponsored the annual International Mammalian Genome Conference (IMGC), which provides a forum for scientific and policy discussions, and a venue for scientists in training to network with leaders in mammalian genetics and to present their work at an international venue. The objective is to provide support for the annual IMGC meeting and scholarships for student and postdoctoral scholar attendance. Previous conferences have been highly successful at providing a forum for the mammalian genetic community and a venue for student and postdoctoral scholars to present their research and interact with leaders in the mammalian genetics community. Substantial improvements are planned for future conferences with the goal of improving the benefit of the IMGC to the broader mammalian genetics community and increasing participation by scientists in training. The improvements include sessions on large-scale resources and infrastructure, phenotyping for pre- clinical models, mentorship luncheons, and participation by scientists in training on the IMGS Secretariat. Future meetings are planned for Crete, Greece (2010), Washington, DC (2011), Hobart, Australia (2012), Hinxton, UK or Salamanca, Spain (2013), and Bar Harbor, ME or Nashville, TN (2014). PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The International Mammalian Genome Conferences provide an essential annual venue that brings together mammalian geneticists from across the world to interact, form new collaborations and plan new research programs with the goal of improving the use of mammalian models to improve the health and wellbeing of people. An important aspect of the conferences is the training and mentoring of young scientists.